Daisy feels pretty big about herself.

In the beginning, the puppies timidly explored the plate of dog food. One or two took to eating the first time. Within a week, we had our first dogfight. Which moved us to everyone has their own plate and someone supervises the eating race.

Then Yoda, the gray one, began to eat slow. If any one of the others ventured close, she was ready to fight. Yoda is the smallest and most muscular. Yoda is the boss. Her brother who will take on most anything in the house for a morsel food defers to Yoda.

Daisy, long legged and small, would like to be boss. Periodically she challenges Yoda who takes no prisoners. The other two littermates say "what the heck" and join in with poor Daisy being assailed from all sides. Hence, Daisy now rides in the car when we shop. No amount of beating from the other dogs can persuade Daisy of her true status in the pack.

In the States we have had a fiscal cliff to contend with. People have adamant opinions and will get mad at you if you disagree. Politicians ever mindful of their power hold aren't too caring of the opinion they defend, they are mindful of keeping their power.

We have a ferocity of opinion to the point of annihilation  I read one man's post on Facebook how he didn't read the communist Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I've become numb to people who are so convinced of their opinion they no longer want to hear anything else and worried about the depth of my own opinion. Have I got opinions so strong that the truth cannot get through.

I think our opinions are what we need to survive difficult aspects of our lives. In my early twenties I read Taylor Caldwell and Ayn Rand. I was incredibly conservative before it was popular. I now know Ayn Rand was an incredible nut case. I say incredible nut case in that eccentricity not mental illness was the root of her perception of the world.

At that time in my life, I was struggling. I was different and naive as a young teacher and took heat for that. Furthermore, the person I was in love with wasn't in love with me. Last of all, I was losing my trim figure to anxiety eating and the proclivity to being overweight. The patina of childhood had worn bare and I was on my on with no safety net. I needed that independent streak to make it.

As time wore on, I found a better place in the world and could look at people and things with experience. My views softened. I know there are deadbeats. I know there are people that truly need help. I have never been able to wipe the image from my mind of an elderly woman in New Orleans who died in her wheelchair as they awaited help from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Someone had laid a coat over their head. I could picture my mother. Needing help to stand and go to the restroom when there wasn't one. Needing a glass of water to medicines that were no longer available.

We forget how well we live and assume that we have had total control over the situation. A woman I know who has a great federal job with the CDC, excellent income, excellent insurance, will state how everyone should have private insurance without government input. A very wealthy developer I know has private insurance. His premium is $1100 a month. He is thankful because his leukemia drugs are much more expensive.

On the last roadtrip, we used our BOGO free coupons at Burger King. We had a coupon for four chicken nuggets for 50 cents. Checkers had two nuggets, Daisy one and Frank the poodle one. All three were slipped portions of hamburger. When Checkers got out of the car, she ran around raising Cain with the other dogs. The big shepherd mix ignored her. Muffin and the puppies got out of her way. Then came Daisy.

Big ego, she rushed her siblings. They commenced to beat the pulp out of her again. As I lifted her with two sets of teeth attached. She was angry.